October 29, 2016

...as I sit at my desk, looking out my window at a very bleak and grey rainy Vancouver day, I can't help but think that this is the perfect day to post about a very rosy and cheery pillowcase as it makes me think of those bygone sunny summery days when my zinnias where still in full bloom...

Whenever I look at the fabric I used to make this new addition to my crochet-trimmed pillowcase collection with its very fresh and bright palette and design (nothing muted and subtle here!), I'm infused with thoughts of sunshiny days (I'm so susceptible to the power of patterns and colours!). There is also a nostalgic Cath Kidston (earlier designs) vibe to this floral print, wouldn't you say?! To make the pillowcase, I decided to pair it with a neutral silvery gray linen yarn as I thought it worked well in complementing its lovely and simple cheeriness without toning it down or muddling it in any way.

So appropriately, I think, I've called this pillowcase "Rosy Cheer" and it is the first one of my new batch of pillowcases that I've listed in my Etsy shop (here); more new ones along with fabric bundles will be making their way shortly into the shop. Thanks for popping by today and I hope glum and grey autumn weather is not getting you too down!...

October 18, 2016

...YES, YES, I can very happily say that we are finally at the end of our first floor home renovation and, let me tell you, not a moment to soon; I'm sure all of you who have renovated your house and can recall all the frayed nerves that go along with this type of exercise (especially when you're living in the middle of it all) know exactly what I mean!... Our last week was particularly interesting as we were unable to access our main floor for part of the time as all its old wood floors were being restored; at one point, we actually had to pull out the ladder at night to get to our bedrooms on the second floor!

In the next little while, we will be moving our furniture which was stored at a friend's house back into the house, unpacking all the boxes that have been lining the walls of our bedrooms and basement, sorting through all the stuff in them and finding new spots for everything. During this round of household re-organizing, I'm hoping to shed some of the bulk that was put away in all those boxes because I think it's time for me to reduce some of my collected clutter. I've come to this realization simply by seeing how many boxes I needed to store all the stuff that was in my kitchen; in our old kitchen, I got into the bad habit of squeezing stuff into every nook and cranny to the point that a lot of it became so inaccessible that I never used half of it because I forget I even had it! So yes, I am going into shedding-mode which is no simple matter for me, because as my family will attest to with a collective sigh, I'm a bit of a magpie...

As I was cut off from my computer in my upstairs bedroom for a lot of last week due to floor refinishing, I never got around to reactivating my Etsy shop with new listings as I promised I would do in my last post, something which I hope to remedy in the upcoming week; I will hopefully find time in the middle of all my sorting, organizing, and chucking to list some new pillowcases (some of which you can see in the photos above which were taken at the lake) as well as fabric bundles.

As I mentioned in my last post, I did manage to sneak away to the lake for a days where I had fun putting together some yummy fabric squares, which you can see in the photos, to make a new patchwork top; I will hopefully sew it all up in the next few days and show it to you shortly. At our house at the lake, I was cozy as a bug with all my fabric, listening to a vintage P.D. James audio book, while outside a storm was raging with crazy winds and lashing rain -- my kind of autumn bliss... I hope you're also finding time to enjoy this lovely season -- thanks for popping by!...

October 04, 2016

... I've had fabric bundles which make this patchwork sitting on my shelf for a while now, waiting to be listed in my Etsy shop; all I still needed to do before listing them is a quick trip to the post office in order to find out how much it would cost to ship these bundles... I did just that the other day and, as seems to be the case more often than not after such a visit to my local post office, I felt discouraged, wondering why it costs so much to ship from our country, especially by air to overseas destinations... I'm always quite excited when I've come up with a new item to put into my shop, but shipping rates have a way of deflating me... Luckily, we do have a very resourceful and clever postal clerk at our branch who is always ready to help me try to bring the cost down, often by simply changing the packaging to lower the weight.

Now, at 755 g or 1.7 lbs, this new bundle is definitely heavier than the bundles I've been selling recently which weigh around half a kilo or 1lb; like these other bundles, this one also has 63 8.5 inch squares, but a lot of the fabric in it such as the wool is of heavier weight, causing it to be almost twice as heavy. So, yes, while I was expecting higher shipping rates, I'm still surprised at how much higher they actually are!... At this point, my only recourse to make shipping more affordable is to offer ground shipping with its longer delays as an option, which is exactly what I will do when I set up my listing for this new item.

I've spent the last few days cutting quilting weight cottons and blends for a new patchwork which I hope to show you shortly. I'm going up to the lake tomorrow where I'll be able to put it together as our house here in the city is still in "reno-turmoil"; I don't even have a few inches of clean floor space to lay down fabric squares! (If all goes according to plan, we only have another two weeks before our renovations are finally done!) I will be back in the city next week at which point I will list the bundle in these photos, more "Buttercups and Sherbert..." bundles, and new pillowcases; I haven't been listing a lot lately because I just haven't had a lot of room to work in our construction zone of a house... It's getting there though, and I'll take some pictures soon to show you how it's all changed. I hope you have a great rest of the week and Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians!... Thanks so much for popping by...